A Conversation with Dr. Sarah Friedman and the Scientists Exploring the Deep History of Our Oceans

Sediments are more than sand and mud; they are geologic archives that capture tectonics, climate, and human-environment interactions.

Fieldwork is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a geoscientist. It is where textbook concepts transform into tangible realities, faults, folds, and foliations etched into the landscape become stories of ancient tectonic processes. On a recent field excursion through North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, I had the privilege of exploring some of the most iconic geologic stops in the Southern Appalachians.

Sometimes in science, it’s not what you collect, it’s what you observe and preserve.

When we think about water, we picture rivers, lakes, rain, or even the ocean tide. But what about the water that moves silently beneath our feet?

Not all environmental stories begin in lush forests or beside crystal-clear rivers.Some of the most important ones start on abandoned lots, behind old fences, and beneath cracked pavement.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what’s hidden in the soil beneath your feet?

You might be thinking, “It’s just dirt, right?”Well, not quite.

I didn’t always know I would become an environmental scientist.